Pixel International Conferences

The following paper develops an educational project with theoretical and practical research on the historical and semantic capital of graphic design, materialized in a pedagogical experience that articulated the contemporary interpretation of the visual discourse of graphic design with the study
and recognition of the historical and semantic capital of Portuguese ‘Tecelagem de Almalaguês’ (weaving of Almalaguês) tradition, in its historical and sociocultural contexts. Almalaguês is a small parish near Coimbra, in Central Portugal, whose hand-weaving technique, named under the same, is possibly dating back to the eleventh century. Integrated in the degree (BA) in Graphic Design of the School of Design of the Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, this project interprets an educative insight that introduces traditional manufacturing industries and techniques to future generations of designers, which may aid in their continuation in future contexts. To do so, we identify the technical and production evolution of its patterns, layouts and materials, projecting contemporaneously these values and concepts as a motto for creativity in design higher education curriculum, namely focusing in packaging design. This learning experience created an opportunity to engage with the ongoing Research Project AntiAmnesia, a founded project that aims at performing a design research mediation process towards the sustenance of traditional industries and practices in the Northern and Central regions of Portugal. It focuses on identity, traditions, knowledge and economic viability and its actions comprise ethnography, archiving, design practices, and media and business strategies.
The educational project was implemented in three moments of development, from research, to creative development and conclusion. Starting from the study and knowledge of the visual communication history of this traditional handicraft, the project evolves in creative terms for a new interpretation of its products, working "concepts” as primary organizers. The opportunity created to combine a creative research project with the practical experimentation in an intergenerational and interdisciplinary workshop, allowing interactions between students and artisans/workers, leading to networking and know-how transfer. This workshop allowed the students to develop creative reasoning and stimulation, understanding in situ, and with the artisans, formal and physical details of Almalaguês.

Keywords: Design Education, Almalaguês, AntiAmnesia, Design for doing;

References:

[1] Gomes, A.J. (2018). “Almalaguez - Tecer o futuro com os fios do passado”. PhD Thesis in Design, University of Porto.
[2] de Almeida, P.; Chatterjee, A. & Gomes, A.J. (2017). “Rediscovering Almalaguês: A Strategic Design Approach to a Traditional Portuguese Hand-Weaving Technique”, Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice, 5:2, 110-137, DOI: 10.1080/20511787.2018.1449075